Silver
by Mann of No Consequence
Summary: For centuries, the Four Kingdoms have stood tall against the ravenous forces of evil that live beyond their walls, but with each passing day the darkness grows closer once more, and mankind's light flickers dangerously. A malevolent entity pulls the world's strings from the shadows, and it seems man will need more than Darkness's Bane to keep their dwindling flame of life ignited.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** I recently uploaded this story to a different account, though this account now carries the name of the other account. I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused anyone. The summary is also different, for reason.

Disclaimer: If you have somehow found your way to this story with no prior knowledge of RWBY, and without realizing that this site is titled _FanFiction,_ then allow me to inform you that all publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of Rooster Teeth. Now, if you found this disclaimer helpful in any way, I must suggest that you back out of this story, and head to the Rooster Teeth website or their YouTube channel to check out the original series.

Story rating may be subject to change.

 **Summary:** Mankind's earliest memory was of darkness. Born into a world dominated by the Creatures of Grimm, man stood little chance at survival... until the discovery of a glowing material, known as silver. With Darkness's Bane in hand, mankind drove back the darkness and forged a place for itself in this harsh new reality. For centuries, the Four Kingdoms have stood tall against the ravenous forces of evil that live beyond their walls, but with each passing day the darkness grows closer once more, and mankind's light flickers dangerously. A malevolent entity pulls the world's strings from the shadows, and it seems man will need more than just silver to keep their dwindling flame of life ignited.

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

"Do you have any idea who you're talking to?! This is unacceptable!"

"I'm sorry, miss, but there aren't any Huntsmen available right now," the auburn haired woman behind the oaken desk said in a rather forced attempt to soothe the young heiress's rising temper, "You will just have to wait until one becomes available."

"Who knows how long that will take? I don't have time for that!"

"I'm sorry miss, but there's nothing I can do," the tired-looking woman said, with a strained, apologetic smile on her face.

"I can't believe how utterly incompetent you are!" The young white haired girl turned on her heel and began marching angrily towards the door, "I'll just have to make my own way there!"

"Wait miss, that's not-!" Weiss allowed the door to slam behind her, cutting off the suddenly frantic woman's voice.

This day had been awful.

It had begun as expected. Shortly after the heiress had awoken in her cabin, the ship had pulled into Marin's port and the passengers - most of which who looked noticeably more uneasy to Weiss than when the journey had first begun in Atlas - began to disembark.

That was when her day began to take a turn.

Marin was meant to be a beautiful port city filled with traders from all over the world, travelers heading to Atlas or coming to Vale _from_ Atlas, and an overabundance of locals all ready to welcome strangers to their city with warm smiles and bright eyes. Marin was a central hub for trade between Atlas and Vale, which combined with the generally friendly populace of the city, made it a thriving tourist attraction. As a result, Marin was a hub of diversity and activity, housing all manner of people from different walks of life, each with their own unique stories to tell.

But the sight that Weiss was met with once she disembarked told a much different story.

The buildings all looked new and well-cared-for, and the Valesian architecture was truly a thing of beauty, but the city streets were almost completely deserted. Where there should have been crowds of people, moving every which way to reach their destinations and the sounds of collective conversation that came together in a pleasant buzz of activity, there were instead barren, dusty streets and an eerie silence that made Marin seem more like an abandoned ghost town rather than the trading port it was meant to be.

As Weiss walked the quiet city streets, she had crossed paths with the occasional person, however there was no warm smile or polite effort to strike up conversation - not that Weiss would normally mind being left alone by strangers. Instead, they simply walked past her briskly, their gazes fixed firmly to the ground save for the occasional worried glance over their shoulder, as if they believed something was following them.

By the time the white-haired girl had reached Marin's town square - a large circular area in the very center of the city where the only fixed structure was a large ornate fountain right in the center of the square - she was feeling as uneasy as the townspeople looked. A quick glance around the area gave all the information she needed about the state of trade in the city. The market stalls that surrounded the fountain were completely barren, and there wasn't a trader in sight.

As she surveyed the desolate town square, her day had become significantly worse as she suddenly found herself knocked to the ground. She had instantly turned an icy glare at the culprit, but instead, she saw only a red blur darting into an alleyway. Weiss rose to her feet and had mentally fumed at the thought of the imbecile that had managed to bump into her in the middle of the _empty_ town square, but as she brushed the dirt and dust from her white dress she had discovered that her lien pouch was missing.

Understandably enraged and out for both justice and the return of her money, she hurriedly followed the path of the red blur, turning into the dirty alleyway hidden between what seemed to be a bakery on one side and an apothecary on the other. Only, the platinum haired girl did not encounter the source of the red blur. Instead, there was a dead end in the form of a stone wall, and not a single person in sight.

She had then considered scouring the city for the culprit, however the thief doubtlessly knew Marin far better than she did, and beyond that Weiss simply didn't have the time to waste. The lien hadn't been strictly necessary - simply a way to avoid being too reliant on her family's seal, but there were more pressing matters that she had to attend to. Still, this logic had not managed to lessen the frustration she felt.

And so, the irate heiress had made her way to her objective - Marin's local Hunter Office - in order to find a Huntsman to escort her through the beautiful red expanse that was known as the Forever Fall.

But now, here she was: angry, basically penniless, and without escort.

"This is just a great," Weiss muttered angrily to herself.

She had told the receptionist at the Hunter's Office that she would make her own way to Vale, but the truth was she was reluctant to do so. Not with the Creatures of Grimm that doubtlessly populated the Forever Fall.

Weiss was completely confident in her combat ability, but her precious Myrtenaster - the elegant rapier strapped to her left hip - lacked the silver coating that was traditionally applied to the weapons of Huntsmen once they graduated from one of the illustrious, Kingdom-funded Huntsmen Academies.

Silver was the only thing that could reliably kill a Grimm. Steel weapons bounced off a Grimm's bone-like protrusions and were otherwise unable to pierce the monster's thick, spongy skin. Even should an individual somehow manage to injure a Grimm with a steel weapon - it was not unheard of - it would do little good, as the monster's wound would simply close itself almost instantly. Weapons coated in silver sliced through the beasts as if they were nothing more than animated scarecrows, with the added bonus of negating the creature's healing ability.

The only other way to combat the living nightmares known as Grimm was Dust; however Dust was no more able to kill the Grimm than steel was. It was useful for keeping the creatures at bay, though. With a small application of Aura, the real-word manifestation of a person's soul, even someone lacking the most basic control could conjure up a fireball or lightning bolt to temporarily drive the Grimm away. The common man's method of self-defense.

Weiss herself was an aspiring Dust Mage, someone who specialized in controlling their Aura and used Dust to unleash devastation upon their enemies... but that would do her little good alone in a forest, surrounded on all sides by enemies. It was entirely possible that one of the ravenous monsters would ambush her from behind whilst she drove away an enemy from the front. To traverse the wilds of Remnant alone was to bring unnecessary danger upon oneself.

But without an available Huntsman, her only other option was to hire a Ranger. However Rangers, unlike Huntsmen, required lien to be hired, as they did not receive steady pay from the ruling body of the Kingdoms. She _could_ use her family seal to hire one, but when the bill made it to her father, he would undoubtedly send someone to retrieve her.

 _"If you can't be trusted to properly uphold the Schnee family name on your own, then I will simply have to keep you under my watch to ensure that do!"_ he would say, as his cold gaze burrowed into her very soul.

Her father saw the Rangers as simple, uncultured mercenaries. Brutes that swung blades around carelessly because they had no other use in this world and were too unskilled to become Huntsmen and earn a proper wage.

If that filthy thief had not stolen her lien pouch then... she still probably would not have hired a Ranger. After all, Weiss did not exactly disagree with her father on the matter of Rangers.

In short, Weiss had no other option but to make her way through the Forever Fall by herself. She could not afford to wait around for a Huntsman, she had no idea how long that would take and she could very well miss the initiation for new students at Vale's Huntsman Academy, Beacon. The Academies did _not_ accept late students, under _any_ circumstance. Weiss would have to wait another year to begin the journey to her goal. Another year stuck, locked in the Schnee mansion, under her father's thumb once more. Somehow she doubted it would be easy to convince her father to allow her to make this journey a second time.

Weiss had been so lost in thought that she didn't realize that she had made it to Marin's main gate until a voice called out to her from somewhere up above.

"Ya sure ya wanna go out there, Girly?"

Light-blue eyes trailed up the large wall surrounding Marin, reaching the top to see a broad figure standing atop the structure. Her gaze met the dull green eyes of a man with rust colored hair, wearing a simple beige tunic, a pair of trousers whose color resembled that of a dry patch of dirt, and a chest plate that covered only his right side. From her position, Weiss could just barely make out what looked like the butt of a crossbow peering over his shoulder.

"Some pretty nasty beasts out there," the man continued, though he looked far more bored than concerned.

"Nasty beasts? You mean _Grimm_?" Weiss asked, condescension coloring her tone. She didn't appreciate being addressed as "Girly" by anyone, certainly not a fool that couldn't even call the 'nasty beasts' by their proper name.

The man seemed to catch her tone, as his eyes narrowed slightly, but his demeanor didn't otherwise change. "Grimm sure, but like nothin' ya've ever heard. Lotsa people gone missin' in the Forever Fall these past few months, some groups of travelers tha've gone into the forest just end up limpin' back into town, covered in blood, down a few friends, and too messed up to even remember their names, never mind explainin' what happened. But yer tryin' to go in alone?" The man paused to shake his head, "Tha's a for-sure way to get yerself killed."

"I'm sure I'll be fine," Weiss said firmly.

The man simply shrugged, "Whatever Girly, I warned ya so I ain't gonna feel guilty if ya die in there."

"Thank you for your concern," the heiress bit out sarcastically. Where was this welcoming attitude the locals of Marin were meant to have?

The man shrugged in response again, and disappeared out of sight. A few moments later, a loud cranking sound signaled the rising of village's gate, revealing the wide dirt road that disappeared into the grand, red sea of leaves that was known as the Forever Fall.

Weiss huffed, thoroughly tired of this disappointing city that had done little more for her than give her a migraine, and began her trek into the forest, unaware of the silver eyes watching her back from a distance.

As the sun began setting on the Forever Fall, painting the world in various hues of reds and oranges, Ruby leapt from branch to branch in pursuit of the white-clad girl who stood out like a sore thumb in the forest that was Fall personified.

Ruby had been watching the girl from the moment she disembarked from the Atlesian ship that brought her to Marin. At first, White had simply been a mark, but after Ruby pilfered the girl's lien pouch and got her first good luck at White's face, she had decided to follow the girl.

For reconnaissance purposes, of course.

She watched the girl step into the Hunter's Office, and had seen her angrily storm out of the building shortly after. She followed the girl to Marin's gate, watched her argue with that lazy jerk that guarded the gate during the day, and had watched her venture out into the Forever Fall alone, with nothing but an admittedly awesome-looking rapier, a belt of Dust vials, and an ornate white bag - for it could not be called a sack - strewn over her shoulder, no doubt carrying whatever meager survival gear she could fit in there.

Seeing the girl walk off into the forest, alone, sent a wave of guilt flowing through Ruby. It was clear that her visit to the Hunter's Office had been to hire an escort to Vale; however Ruby knew that there had not been a Huntsman in Marin for several months - not since those... _things_ had begun appearing in the Forever Fall. Of course, when there was no Huntsmen to be found the next best option was to hire a Ranger. Most Rangers, however, did not take jobs that didn't pay, and Ruby had the girl's lien pouch safely stored in her own pack.

Not that it would have mattered. Ever since Ruby came bolting back into the city on that fateful night, her entire right side drenched in blood, the Rangers had been too concerned with Marin's safety to take any job that required them to leave the city. The Rangers were, for the most part, sworn to protect the citizens of Remnant when the Huntsmen could not. On the off chance that White was able to find a Ranger willing to escort her, the lien that Ruby had nicked off the girl would not have been nearly enough in these trying times. In all likelihood, the platinum haired girl would have gone in alone, whether Ruby had pick-pocketed her or not.

Still, this thought process had not made Ruby feel any less guilty. She did not like to steal, but she was neither a Huntress nor a Ranger - not in any official capacity - and she was young. Nobody, not even the desperate, terrified people in this city were willing to hire a little girl to fight the Grimm, or escort them to Vale to see why Marin hadn't seen a Huntsman in so long. Ruby could make weapons, but the city was lacking in supplies. Supplies from Atlas had become rare, as Marin no longer had a surplus of exotic wares and other resources to trade for them, not with the embargo the Grimm had essentially set on the city. Besides that, Ruby had no other skills to speak of, and considering the lack of goods as well as the lack of customers, there wasn't much demand for employees to take care of any manual labor.

So Ruby had taken to theft. After all, the first lesson Qrow had ever taught her was to do whatever it took to survive, and worry about the consequences _after_ she knew she would live long enough for them to matter. Though, she didn't steal from the people of Marin, they had enough problems as is. Instead, she waited at the docks, watching the horizon for ships day after day. Occasionally a well-off Atlas noble or irate business man would arrive to see for themselves what was happening here, and that was when Ruby would strike. It had been weeks since one of those had last arrived, so Ruby had jumped at the chance when she had finally spotted White with an expensive looking lien pouch dangling from her hip.

The girl must have been truly desperate to get to Vale. Sure, she had that beautiful rapier strapped to her hip, and there were the multicolored vials of Dust strapped to the white belt she wore, but even from here, the red-cloaked girl could tell that the sword lacked any sort of silver coating, and her supply of Dust would not last for long, not if she was the only one there to keep the Grimm at bay. Even if the girl-in-white didn't know about those... _things_ that had settled into the forest, most knew better than to go into the wilds on their own.

Ruby had intended to catch up with the girl, get her attention, and explain exactly what would be waiting for her once night fell. However, upon catching up to the girl - an easy feat thanks to her familiarity with the forest near Marin - Ruby had discovered that she felt more than just guilt. A terrible nervousness pooled in her stomach as she repeatedly contemplated _exactly_ what she would say to the beautiful, princess-like girl whose money she had stolen.

Unfortunately, she came up blank each time.

So, as the sun dipped lower and lower in the sky - and with the guilt in Ruby increasing inversely - Ruby resigned herself to watching over the platinum haired girl. She knew that, when night finally fell, she would have to jump in and rescue her from the nightmares that would awaken. She was better at thinking under pressure, anyway.

The platinum haired girl decided to make camp just before the sun finished setting. 'Camp' was a small nook, hidden by the exposed tree roots of a particularly large tree, where White had set up a plush yet noticeably thin sleeping bag that she had pulled from her survival bag. It was an admittedly good place to make camp, the shuffling of a Beowolf or Ursa would doubtless awaken the girl well before anything was able to do any harm to her. However, the nook was no replacement for an actual night watch, and there were no Beowolves nor Ursai within the Forever Fall anymore. The monsters that had taken their place would not be so easily thwarted.

Ruby continued her vigil, watching the girl as she gnawed on a ration that looked far more appetizing than the dried meat most Rangers carried around. Ruby knew that in mere moments, the two of them would be in mortal peril, and she would have to make her move. Her grip on the hilt of the sword strapped to her hip tightened, and as the sun finally vanished beneath the unseen horizon, her patience was rewarded.

An unstoppable spike of fear shot through her body, and she saw the girl in white below freeze in terror as a soul-piercing screech rang out through the Forever Fall.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Weiss had never been so terrified in her life.

The moment that bloodcurdling screech rang out through the Forever Fall, Weiss was frozen. In both body and mind, Weiss was frozen, and her icy blue eyes, drawn open as wide as they could go, stared straight ahead into the darkness.

She could not move, she could not even consider it, not even when the sound of rustling leaves and the cracking of tree bark reached her ears. Even when a pale glow that was not unlike moonlight lit up the night just outside of the nook she had been fortunate of find, she remained still.

In her terror, Weiss was made unaware of the Dust strapped to her belt, or the elegant rapier that hung from the hilt. She could not defend herself; she was going to die here, beneath the roots of a tree deep within a forest that nobody would dared to tread any longer. Her body would never be found, and she would rot away in the Forever Fall, forgotten to the world.

A guttural noise that sounded like the snarl of a rabid beast called out from the direction of the pale white light. A surprisingly feminine grunt came after, and was swiftly followed by the grotesque sound of something cleaving through flesh. The inhuman snarl became a pathetic whine, and soon it was silent once again.

Through it all, Weiss remained frozen in place. With no choice but to stare ahead, she watched as the pale light outside of her nook faded. A few moments passed, before a pair of glowing silver eyes appeared out of the darkness. The light they gave off was dimming slowly, but Weiss was too terrified of her certain, impending death to really pay much attention to them.

An arm reached out, and a small hand gripped her own arm firmly. Suddenly, the icy fear that had flooded through her veins vanished, and Weiss became aware of her own breathing. She could think again. She could _move_ again.

"Come on, we have to move!" An unexpectedly high pitched voice called out, no doubt belonging to the silver eyed stranger that had grabbed her.

A strong tug on her arm pulled Weiss to her feet, and before she could fully gain her bearings she found herself being pulled through the Forever Fall at high speeds on shaky legs.

She normally would have protested at such rough treatment, but now that her senses had returned to her she knew that this person was not her enemy. They had killed whatever it was that had been coming for her, and now they were leading her through the ominous maze of trees with such ease that it was clear that they knew the area far better than she did.

She could hear more of those terrible screeches coming from behind them. Each one sent a spike of fear through her, and if not for the figure that had not yet let go of her, she was certain she would have frozen up again. She now had some idea of the danger she was in, and the increasing volume of the screeching made it clear that the monsters were gaining on them.

Weiss heard the unsheathing of a sword, but before Weiss could react she found herself being pushed to the ground. She looked up just in time to see a dark form soar over her head and crash into the silver-eyed girl, knocking her to the ground.

Icy blue eyes looked on in horror as she watched one of the monsters pin the girl down. In the darkness, Weiss could not make out what was happening. She saw the dark shape of the creature swiping beneath it with long limbs, and the shadow beneath it wiggled and flailed rapidly, presumably fighting against the monster and dodging each swipe the best she could.

Something that felt suspiciously like dirt was flung from the struggling duo and hit Weiss in the face. Her mind fully caught up to the situation, and she reached for a Dust vial with shaky hands. However, the fear that still flooded her body made the utilization of Dust, something that normally came naturally to her, a difficult and clumsy effort.

As she fumbled with the vial of Dust in her hands, once again a pale light lit up the forest, instantly drawing Weiss's full attention. This time the sound of a blade cleaving through flesh was accompanied by the sight of a sword, bathed in the pale light, cutting through the flesh of the monster's neck as if it were air. With a kick, the decapitated creature was knocked on its back, where it lay unmoving.

In the pale light emanating from the girl's blade, Weiss was able to get her first look at the monster. The creature bore a strong resemblance to an extremely malnourished human, with arms and legs that looked far too long for its body, and wiry skin that was stretched painfully over bone. Each of the creatures long, thin fingers were tipped in jagged, razor sharp, bone-white claws. The head, which had rolled off to the side once it had fallen from the monster's body, was bald and just as black as the rest of its body, with pure white teeth that jutted out from its mouth at odd, seemingly random angles.

Weiss could see no eye sockets for the monster, and it had no visible ears. It also lacked the distinctive white mask that most other Grimm usually wore. It was easily the least visually imposing Grimm she had ever laid eyes on, but the creature's uncanny resemblance to a human managed to shake Weiss to her core.

She almost screamed when a hand clasp around her wrist once more, but calmed down once she realized it was the silver-eyed girl who must have picked herself up from the ground while Weiss was observing the beast.

"We have to keep moving!" the girl said urgently, whilst yanking Weiss to her feet.

The Dust vial that she had all but forgotten about slipped from her hand at the sudden movement, but before she could protest the action she found herself being pulled through the forest once again.

"Don't worry about that right now!" The girl yelled back at her, the glow from the sword in her free hand slowly dimming as they ran, "The rest are catching up, we can't afford another delay!"

Another shriek echoed throughout the forest, and Weiss knew that the only thing stopping the monsters from pouncing on them was their rapid movement through the forest. The girl that pulled her along was the only thing that kept her from tripping, or from running into the trunks of the tree. The girl was clearly familiar with this forest, able to navigate it so seamlessly despite the darkness. It was the only thing keeping them alive, Weiss was sure.

There was a ferocious growl, and the silver-eyed girl jerked to the left suddenly, pulling Weiss along with her.

Weiss felt her shoulder graze the rough bark of a tree she narrowly avoided, and her hiss of pain was covered up by the sound of something slamming in to said tree.

The chase continued, and Weiss could feel her dress getting caught on the many obstacles that the forest had to offer. It did little to slow the pair down, and it was only the real threat of death and dismemberment that kept Weiss from wincing at occasionally sound of ripping fabric.

Another shriek rang through the forest, but this time from up ahead. Terror gripped at the heiress's heart, but the other girl did not stop pulling her along. Instead, the girl's sword ignited in that great, pale glow once more. The black form of one of the beasts shot out from between the trees, only to be met with the glowing blade. With creature, now in two pieces and very much dead, flew harmlessly past them.

Once again, the glow of the blade began to dim, and even in this horrible, desperate situation the white-haired girl could not help but wonder about it. It was her understanding that silver glowed constantly, and not nearly as intensely.

Before she could ponder this further, another screech sounded, and the heiress's train of thought was violently derailed. She nearly stumbled over a protruding tree root, but luckily managed to keep her balance. If she fell like this she would bring the other girl down with her.

"We're almost there!" the girl shouted, and Weiss was happy to hear those words. She had no idea how long they had been running. It had felt like only a few minutes, but her aching legs and burning of her legs told her otherwise. The other girl's lack of exhaustion did not escape her notice.

Another bloodcurdling screech tore through the air, and just like the others before it, it sent another spike of fear shot through Weiss's body, however it quickly abated once they broke through the edge of the forest, and the walls of Marin finally came into view.

"Open the gate!" the girl shouted.

A different sort of dread filled Weiss as they continued running down the wide dirt road that lead into the forest. The gate had not opened, and Weiss was almost certain that it wouldn't. She remembered the fear and paranoia of the townspeople, the horrific screeches from those monsters that had left her frozen, and the words of unpleasant man that had opened the gate for her earlier in the day.

 _I warned ya so I ain't gonna feel guilty if ya die in there._

They were both going to die, only a leap away from safety, because she had foolishly gone into the Forever Fall, alone. This silver-eyed girl was going to die protecting her. Weiss hadn't even been able to help. She had fumbled around like a child while her savior had struggled for her life against one of those nightmares. She really was a disgrace.

Her thoughts were cut short as the loud cranking sound of the village gate filled joined the terrifying shrieks of the Grimm, and she nearly cried in relief as the village gate rose before her eyes.

She heard shouting from atop the wall, and the night lit up in a canopy of whites, reds, and yellows as a Dust fueled barrage sailed over the girls' heads.

There were shrieks of agony from behind them, but Weiss paid them no more mind as she and the silver-eyed girl finally rushed through the gate. Finally, the two girls were safe, and after slowing to a stop well within the village boundaries the silver-eyed girl let go of Weiss's wrist.

Weiss took a few shaky steps towards the stone wall of a nearby building and barely stopped herself from collapsing against it entirely as she greedily gulped in air in an effort to soothe her aching lungs. She leaned against the wall in a display that was decidedly lacking in poise and would have likely gotten her a stern talking to from her father were he around.

The torches that lined the walls and streets of the city lit up the area and provided the heiress with some measure of comfort. It was a stark contrast to the near pitch black darkness of the forever fall, as well as the pale glow from the blade that had slain three of those nightmarish Grimm. The orange light spoke of civilization, high walls, and safety in numbers. She had never appreciated something as simple as a torch so much in her entire life.

As her breathing finally evened out and became far calmer, she realized she could still hear the shrieking of the Grimm in the forest, but they felt so much further away now. No doubt a thick stone wall and a group of people armed with Dust and ready to defend their home had something to do with that.

She no longer felt like she could die at any moment. As the adrenaline fully left her body, Weiss's legs buckled, but she held firm. She felt like crying, not for the first time that night, but that too she held back.

Schnees did not cry.

After a few more moments of pulling herself together, Weiss finally turned to where she thought her savior was, but was surprised to find only an empty space.

After a more thorough inspection of the area she spotted the other girl standing closer to the now closed gate and conversing with a much taller man. The light provided by the _glorious_ torches that decorated the streets of Marin allowed the heiress to make out the face of the stern looking man who seemed to be scolding the girl.

Weiss felt a twinge of guilt, and once again felt the weight of her recklessness. She hoped that the girl wouldn't get in trouble, she had saved Weiss's life after all. There was little that the heiress could do, though, so she resigned herself to waiting until the man was finished talking.

After several more long and painful moments in which the guilt Weiss felt only grew stronger, the man finally left with a disappointed shake of his head, and moved to join the shadowy figures on the wall – the ones that had fired off those Dust attacks earlier. Rangers, Weiss assumed.

Her savior turned away from the departing man and made her way back towards Weiss, her gaze directed downward, perhaps in a display of shame. When the girl was within hearing distance, Weiss opened her mouth to speak, intending to offer and apology as well as her gratitude, but when the girl lifted her gaze and the heiress finally got a good look at her face, she found that words failed her.

The girl looked young, younger than Weiss even, with soft features and miniscule hints of baby fat. Her wide eyes were a beautiful silver color, though they looked far less stunning than they had when they earlier in the forest, when they appeared to glow. A question quickly surfaced in Weiss's mind but she pushed it back down as quickly as it came. Now was not the time, after all.

The girl's hair appeared black, but gradated into a dark red closer to the tips, and the small nose in the center of her face pulled the whole 'exotically adorable' look together perfectly. Weiss had to force herself to stop staring, and to focus on what she wanted to say.

Of course, what she chose to divert her attention to was the tattered red cloak that the girl wore, now fully distinguishable thanks to the lighting in the city. In an instant she found herself at a loss for words once again.

"Um," the girl began nervously, clearly confused as to whether she should wait for Weiss to say something not.

A few more moment passed as the events of the day all clicked into place in Weiss's mind, and the gratitude and guilt she had previously felt rapidly morphed into righteous fury.

"So…" the girl began to speak again, sounding more awkward and unsure of herself than she did before, "I'm Ru-"

The girl quickly cut herself off as cold blue eyes met beautiful silver in an angry glare.

"You stole my money!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

After the onslaught of verbal abuse the other girl had delivered, Ruby had meekly led her into a large building near the center of Marin called The Laughing Dolphin. Ruby had winced when the other girl had scoffed at the name, but thankfully she had little to say about the inside. The Laughing Dolphin was the largest and most popular tavern in Marin. It was the closest tavern to the central square, where most of the buying and selling of exotic and rare merchandise was done. As such, the tavern was well-kept at all times and one would be hard-pressed to find even a speck of dust anywhere on the inside.

Even now, the tavern was filled to the brim with patrons, though most of which were running low on funds and had nowhere else to go with those nightmares prowling the Forever Fall between Marin and Vale. The merry atmosphere and the smiling faces of the patrons were replaced with an almost overwhelming sense of hopelessness. Worried, drawn-in expressions took the place of smiling faces. Instead of the loud buzz of conversation, the dining hall was filled with hushed murmurs.

Ruby had led the white-haired girl to a far corner of the dining hall, her usual spot since she had come here with Uncle Qrow all those months ago.

Now, the two were sat across from each other in an awkward silence… or awkward for Ruby, at least. She had tried speaking multiple times after they had sat down, but each time she looked up the white-haired girl's intense glare silenced her.

"I said I was sorry…" Ruby muttered quietly, as she chanced another nervous glance at the girl sitting across from her. The glacial glare she received in response caused her to divert her gaze back towards the table.

Ruby allowed the next few minutes to pass, fidgeting in her wooden chair awkwardly. She allowed her gaze to roam over the hall, taking in the numerous other patrons that were hunched over their own tables. At one point a server had come by, her pale green hair tied up in a bun atop her head. Ruby waved her away, it was way to tense for a meal, and the other girl didn't seem the type to drink at an establishment like The Laughing Dolphin. After what felt like hours had passed, she once again chanced a look at the white haired girl and thankfully she was not met with an icy glare this time.

Instead, the look on the girl's face could easily be described as melancholy, with perhaps a touch of resentment. The expression seemed to emphasize the scar that covered her eye, and Ruby was suddenly tempted to ask about it, but quickly pushed the thought down.

The girl stared down at her hands on the table, each clenched into small, tight fists. To Ruby it looked like the expression of someone who was beating themselves up over something, an expression that Ruby had become personally acquainted with since arriving in Marin.

Something seemed to click in her mind, and with her nervousness suddenly brushed aside the next words left her mouth without thinking, "It's not your fault."

In an instant the white-haired girl's blue ice snapped to Ruby's silver, and in that same moment the glare had returned.

"What in the world are you talking about? _Of course_ it's not my fault! If you hadn't stolen my money I wouldn't have been in danger in the first place!"

They both knew that this was a lie, so Ruby chose to ignore it, "You're angry at yourself, because you couldn't do anything back there."

The girl blinked in surprise, but her expression quickly morphed back into that of anger and accusation. Ruby continued on, not giving the other girl a chance to respond, "You've probably trained for most of your life. Judging by all that Dust you're carrying you must be a Dust Mage… probably travelling to Vale to apply for Beacon?"

Once again, the girl's angry look was replaced with surprise.

"You're mad at yourself, because you froze up in the forest even though you've trained so hard, and you're wondering if maybe you aren't cut out for this kind of thing."

The sad look had returned, and when the girl opened her mouth to speak it lacked all of the haughtiness from earlier, instead sounding almost despondent, "What is your point, exactly?"

"Well," Ruby took a deep breath, steeling herself for what she was about to say, "Those things out there, their scream… it makes you afraid. The first time you hear it, it's so terrifying, you freeze up completely. I saw…" Ruby swallowed thickly, "I saw a Ranger. He, he had been a Huntsman once, but retried and joined the Rangers instead. He was super strong, and I'd never seen him afraid of anything before, but the first time we heard the screaming…"

The girl's face was blank now, but the fact that she was leaning in ever so slightly indicated her rapt attention. She seemed to wait patiently for Ruby to gather herself, but Ruby was no longer paying attention to the other girl. Instead, she was staring intently at a particularly dark patch of wood on the table at which the two girls sat.

"We both froze up. His face had gotten so pale, and his eyes had gotten so wide… I don't know how long we sat there, doing nothing, but suddenly something ran into him and knocked him over," Ruby's voice was beginning to waver now, as she desperately fought back against the tears that were threatening to form, "I still couldn't do anything. All I could do was listen. I, I..."

Ruby looked up from the table at the sudden feeling of another hand on hers. The other girl's pale hand covered her own slightly tanned one. Ruby's silver eyes moved to the other girl's face. It was… sad, but not like before. She looked concerned, but she also looked uncomfortable, as if she wasn't quite used to doing such a thing.

Under any other circumstance the sight might have been enough to make Ruby giggle, but the horrible memories running through her head prevented her from seeing any humor in the situation.

All the same, she was thankful – and more than a little surprised – for the comfort the other girl offered. Ruby took a few moments to recompose herself, wiping away the tears that had begun to fall without her knowledge with her free hand.

When she finally spoke again, her voice was steadier, though she knew there was more than a hint of sadness there, "Anyway, I'm getting off track… the point is, if someone as experienced as that was too scared to move, then it only makes sense that we – that you, wouldn't have been able to either… it's not your fault. It's their power."

The pale hand had been removed the moment she had begun talking once more, and once again the girls sat in an awkward silence. A few moments later, the girl-in-white finally spoke, this time without the anger that had previously colored her tone.

"I see," her voice was softer, and spoke with a sense of regality that Ruby wouldn't have been surprised to hear from a Princess, "Thank you for… for saving me. I'm sorry for your loss."

The girl's words felt genuine, far removed from those in Marin who had been more worried about their own wellbeing when they had spoken to her the day after she had wandered back into the city covered in blood that had not entirely been her own.

"What did you say your name was?"

"Oh! Um, well you didn't exactly let me-" Ruby stopped abruptly as the other girl's rapidly changing expression and squeaked out, "Ruby Rose! My uh, my name is Ruby Rose, heh."

The girl stared at Ruby for a moment, looking ever so slightly annoyed, before sighing and holding out her hand, "Very well, Miss Rose. I am Weiss Schnee. It's a… pleasure, to meet you."

Gingerly, Ruby met Weiss's hand with her own and the two shook.

"It's nice to meet you too, Weiss, but you should just call me Ruby."

With a slight nod, Weiss released Ruby's hand and the tension that had been present since the two sat down abated somewhat. Another silence stretched out between the two, but it was broken by Weiss, who finally prepared to have an actual conversation.

"I was told that there were no Huntsmen in Marin."

"Oh well, that's because there aren't. There hasn't been a Huntsman here for months."

"But what about you? You _killed_ some of those Grimm out there. Your sword was glowing. It's silver, isn't it? Silver is reserved for graduated Huntsmen only, and despite your theft of my money," Ruby chuckled nervously, "I highly doubt you were able to break into an Academy, abscond with silver, and find a blacksmith able or willing to treat your weapon."

"Ab-what?" Ruby asked, her face scrunched up in confusion.

Once again, Weiss stared at Ruby for a moment, but soon gave an irritated sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Unbelievable," she muttered to herself, though Ruby was able to clearly make out the word, "Abscond, escape, flee, make off."

"Oh! Well, you see…" Ruby unhooked her sword from her belt and set it on the table. Weiss eyed her, looking nervous, but Ruby paid her no mind. She partly unsheathed the sword from its black and red scabbard, giving Weiss a clear view of the blade that very clearly lacked the glow that silver gave off.

"It's… it's just steel," Weiss whispered, as if unable to believe what she was seeing, "but how? It was glowing in the forest. I saw it, and I saw you _kill_ Grimm with it!"

Before Ruby could respond, a booming voice echoed throughout The Laughing Dolphin's dining hall, "Rose! You know the rules, no weapons out in the tavern!" Every pair of eyes in the tavern turned away from the large, burly looking man with shaggy red hair standing near the entrance of the tavern and focused on Ruby who gave another nervous laugh and sheathed her sword before removing it from the table.

"Sorry Mister Burgundy!"

The man simply harrumphed and turned away from the hall, and the rest of the patrons went back their hushed mutterings, or near empty tankards that they could no longer afford to refill. Ruby noticed that many people had left since she and Weiss had sat down, undoubtedly returning to their rooms for the night.

"Well?" Weiss asked impatiently, drawing Ruby's attention back towards her.

"Right. It's kind of hard to explain?" Ruby said, unsurely, "Well, I guess it's not _hard_ to explain just that you probably wouldn't believe me if I told you and I still don't really believe it even though it makes a lot of sense considering the stories Uncle Qrow used to tell me about my mom that I didn't really think were true at first but-"

"Ruby!" The girl in question stopped rambling at once. "Just tell me how you were able to kill the Grimm."

Ruby's cheeks heated up, but she didn't hesitate to answer, not wanting the other girl to yell at her again, "I think it's my eyes. I don't completely understand, but Uncle Qrow used to tell me stories about my mom – she was a Huntress – and he always talked about how she could take out whole swarms of Grimm all by herself. He always put a lot of emphasize on her eyes when he told those stories and he always finished them by mentioning that I have the same eyes as her."

Weiss looked just as confused as she did skeptical, so Ruby carried on, "When those things attacked us in the forest and killed… killed the Ranger… my eyes started to burn. Before I knew what I was doing my sword was out and it was glowing. I didn't really have time to think about it so I just swung it at the Grimm and it died. I've been able to do it at will since then."

"I… are you serious?" Weiss asked. The skeptical look on her face slowly disappearing and being replaced with awe that Ruby doubted she had intended to show.

"Yeah, looks like I can give my weapon the properties of silver. I think, maybe I can do more than that?" Ruby said, though it came out as more of a question than a statement, "Some of the stories Uncle Qrow told me made it seem like mom could do a whole lot more than just enchant her weapon, but it's not like she's around to teach me."

"I see," Weiss muttered, looking at Ruby with an intensity that made the younger girl's face flush in embarrassment, "Why haven't you left yet? Surely with your ability you can make it to Vale. You could tell the Huntsmen what's going on," Weiss paused for a moment, looking thoughtful, "For that matter, why haven't the citizens tried sending a messenger to Atlas for help?"

"They have tried, but there was never any reply," Ruby answered, "and I've tried getting to Vale a couple of times but it's not that easy. Even professional Huntsmen don't go out without a partner." Ruby couldn't see herself, but she was sure that she looked as miserable as she felt, "I'm just one apprentice Ranger and there's too many of those things out there. It doesn't matter how many I cut down, they don't stop coming. I can't fight them all night, not alone. They drive me out of the forest every time."

At her own words a phantom pain flared up in her side and her shot toward the location, gripping the area where the horrid scar was hidden by her clothes.

Weiss looked as if she was about to say something, but seemed to think better of it. After a few quiet moments where Ruby found herself unable to tear away her eyes from Weiss' beautiful visage which had taken on a calculating expression, the white haired girl finally spoke up again, "You said you couldn't do it alone... does that mean you think you could make it through if you had a partner?"

Ruby frowned, "Well maybe. It'd be a lot easier if I had someone watching my back, but it's not like anyone in Marin is willing to risk it."

Weiss gave a thoughtful hum, "So you simply need someone to lighten the load for you, so to speak."

Ruby nodded in response, though she was unsure of what Weiss's point was.

"Then I shall accompany you. I'm sure that the two of us together will be able to make it to Vale."

Ruby blinked in surprise, "What? Are you sure you want to go back out there after what happened tonight?"

"Of course I'm sure. I have to make to Beacon before Initiation, there's no choice to be made here. Besides, the screeches of those… _creatures_ don't seem to make you freeze up, and you specifically mentioned that it was something that happened _the first time._ So it shouldn't be a problem anymore, right?"

"Well, yeah, you probably won't freeze up since you've already heard it, but it'll still make you scared either way! It still makes me scared and I've killed a bunch of them!"

"If you can keep your wits about you around those monsters, then I assure you that I will be able to as well. I need to get to Beacon, and more importantly we need to tell the Huntsmen exactly what's going on. Again, there is no choice here, this is simply something I will have to do, and we already know that neither of us can do it alone, so we'll do it together," Weiss pinned Ruby with a look that booked no argument, "Understood?"

Ruby sighed and nodded, more than a little worried about the girl sitting before her, but also happy to have found a partner. Maybe they could help dispel this cloud of hopelessness that had descended upon Marin, and get the city the help it needed so it could return to its former glory.

And maybe, once they had reached Vale, Ruby could also attend Beacon and become a Huntress like her mother, uncle and father had been…

Like her sister had wanted to be.

"Good," Weiss said, not looking quite as satisfied as her voice sounded, "Now, what is the Grimm situation like during the day? Those monsters only seemed to come out at night."

"Oh, well ever since those things showed up, there haven't really been any Grimm spotted in the Forever Fall during the day, it's been months since I last saw any Ursai or Beowolves, and that was before those things out there showed up."

"That's strange, Grimm don't typically compete with one another. Do you think these new Grimm killed off the others?"

"I don't think so," Ruby said after a moment's though, "The Forever Fall had been really quiet the first night those things appeared, so I think the other Grimm were already gone when they showed up. It's like the others just kind of disappeared."

"Well… regardless of the why, it sounds like the Forever Fall is relatively safe during the day," Weiss paused a moment, tapping her finger on the wooden surface of the table that separated them, "So, we'll leave tomorrow night."

Ruby blinked in surprise, "Tomorrow night? You want to start travelling while they're hunting?"

"Of course. It may be safer to travel by day, but if we do that we'll also have to stay up all night fighting those things. So, we'll travel by night, and rest during the day, when the forest is safe. It'll be slow going, but we should be able to make it to Vale before Initiation, if only barely," Weiss sighed disappointedly, "I had wanted to take some time to explore the city before Beacon, but it seems as if that's no longer possible."

While Weiss lamented her lost opportunity and unwanted change of plans, it took Ruby every ounce of her willpower not to facepalm. She had not even considered travelling by night, though now that the other girl had mentioned it, it seemed so obvious.

Weiss drew Ruby's attention back to her with a long suffering sigh and a shake of her head, "Oh well, now that we have our plans made, we should go over your fighting style. I'll tell you exactly what I can do with Dust, and hopefully we can get through this without accidentally killing one another."

"You don't sound as confident as you did a second ago…" Ruby muttered to herself, too quietly for Weiss to hear her.

"But first, aren't you going to buy me dinner? It turns out that running for your life works up quite an appetite… and that's _my_ money you're carrying around anyway. I'll let you keep it as payment for escorting me through the forest. You are a Ranger after all. However, I expect you to treat me to food and a room as compensation for your _theft._ "

"Uh, there aren't really any rooms available. This place is booked solid since nobody really has anywhere else to go."

Weiss gave another irritated sigh, she seemed to do that a lot, "Then I'll have to share yours, but I'm taking the bed. Again, _my_ money _._ "

"Heh, well, I guess you do have a point…" Ruby said, before calling the waitress over. She herself was quite hungry, and considering the quest they were about to undertake, it would do them good to have a nice warm dinner in a safe environment.

It would be days before they would be able to do so again.


End file.
